The Rosemont Leadership Institute (RLI), in collaboration with the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University, has named 31 high school juniors to its inaugural class of Rosemont Leadership Institute Scholars.

Nearly 270 highly qualified high school juniors from across New Mexico applied for RLI, which includes a $25,000 scholarship to attend either UNM or NMSU. Semi-finalists were interviewed by faculty and staff from NMSU and UNM, as well as representatives from Rosemont Realty.

"This inaugural RLI class is an extremely talented group of New Mexico's future leaders, representing 24 high schools in 18 cities across the state," said Dan Burrell, CEO of Rosemont Realty and Founder of Rosemont Leadership Institute. "This is the beginning of a long-term commitment by RLI to provide students with the tools needed to compete in a knowledge-based economy."

The Rosemont Leadership Institute has several objectives: providing students with the essential tools associated with effective leadership, improving high school graduation rates, college and career readiness, college enrichment experiences and incentivizing students to become future leaders in New Mexico.

The two-year program will kick off this summer at the RLI Academy July 14-20 on the campus of NMSU in Las Cruces.

The multi-faceted leadership program includes participating in several components, including:

• Rosemont Leadership Institute Academy – Attend two, one-week summer leadership sessions - at NMSU later this summer and at the UNM in the summer of 2014.

• Rosemont Leadership Institute Challenges – Complete an academic challenge during their senior year of high school to further develop leadership skills through community research and practical application.

• Ongoing Mentoring – Meet with university professors, who will provide mentoring beyond academics. RLI Scholars will also be aligned with a mentor in their community.

Additionally, while attending college, RLI Scholars will be required to belong to a college campus student organization, shadow a leader and mentor high school students who are following them into the program to create a full-circle Rosemont Leadership Institute family.

RLI Scholars must maintain a 3.0 college GPA. The curriculum for the program was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership in conjunction with UNM, NMSU and Rosemont Realty.

The Rosemont Leadership Institute is a Santa Fe-based, 501(c) 3 non-profit organization established in 2012 in partnership with the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. Its objective is to provide exceptional high school leaders from across New Mexico with the financial resources, global awareness and professional networks required to succeed in a competitive and knowledge-based economy.

Rosemont Realty, LLC, and a number of New Mexico-based businesses have earmarked $750,000 to underwrite the cost of upwards of 30 $25,000 college scholarships each year.